


This Town.

by youngandbitchy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Kamar-Taj (Marvel), Lovers to Friends, Memory Lane, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Miscarriage, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pregnancy, Reader-Insert, Road Trips, Romantic Angst, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Self-Insert, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tumblr: young-and-bitchy, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 06:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16908255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngandbitchy/pseuds/youngandbitchy
Summary: Stephen and you go down memory lane on a roadtrip.





	This Town.

Road trip: that’s what Tony had suggested to take the edge off. It would give you time to think, to talk, to chill. A road trip all the way to the south.

Right now, you were in the parking lot of the compound. There were around seven cars: Thor, Valkyrie, Bruce, Groot and Rocket rode in one; Gamora, Quill, Wanda, Vision and Rhodes in another; Mantis, Drax, Steve, Bucky and Sam in a pick-up truck; Tony, Pepper and their kid in his new-acquired kid-friendly Volvo (you never thought you’d see the day Tony Stark drove a Volvo); Clint with his family and Natasha; Scott, Hope and his daughter and, finally, you and Stephen.

“You’re the only person I trust enough to drive my car… or me,” he’d argued.

So you agreed.

You and Stephen had a rocky past, and you thought you’d never see him again until you encountered him during the battle against Thanos. The circumstances were odd. He was a Master of the Mystic Arts and you were a mutant with the ability to see what was happening elsewhere.

You two were last, but in no time you ended up behind Tony who was first. That car was a spaceship.

Stephen turned off the pop music playing on the radio. “I swear, the music kids listen to these days.” You snorted, sarcastically. He frowned. “What?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You thought of it,” he answered. “Say it. What?”

“You complain about what the kids are listening to… You, the guy that had disco music on repeat during his internship days.”

“That was to release stress.”

You nodded, sarcastically. “Sure.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Don’t believe me.”

“I didn’t.”

He snorted and you laughed. The car fell into silence. Not an uncomfortable, awkward one; but a familiar, relaxing silence of two people that, no matter how much time passed, their dynamic didn’t change.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did.” You looked at him and he had his brows arched. “What?”

“Do you ever think on what would’ve happened if we hadn’t broken up?”

“I used to… but it didn’t do me any good,” you replied. “Do you?”

“I didn’t until I saw you again, if I’m honest.”

“Well, if we’re being honest… and please, don’t take this the wrong way.”

“Followed by a statement that will surely offend me.”

You rolled your eyes. “A part of me is glad we did, and before you get offended, let me elaborate.”

Stephen sighed. “Okay…”

“You were in your internship, I was in my sophomore year of college. I got pregnant and we lost the baby… If we’d continued together, we never would’ve been able to see past that. We would’ve ended up despising each other and blown up.” You looked at him for a moment. “I never wanted that for us.”

Stephen nodded. “I understand… You’re probably right. We weren’t really a good match.” He was lying.

“I didn’t say that,” you stated. “Steph, we were hardworking, stressed and young. Our relationship was odd, but it was ours… it was the timing that sucked.”

“So you don’t regret anything?”

“How could I? I spent some of my best days with you,” you admitted.

“Yeah… I did too.”

Stephen and you took a drive down memory lane. The tired  **I love you’s** , the Raman noodles after fucking like rabbits, waking him up after falling asleep on top of his books, him helping you with homework when you required assistance. The concerts, the parties, the drinks.

Stopping in the middle of the street to go to the back of his car, the 3am food calls, leaning against him underneath a tree when he had free time on campus. Drunk sex, massages to relax, bets during chess, political debates.

The fearless, crazy young love.

Hours later, the team stopped at a hotel. Chosen by Tony, obviously. You were in a room with Valkyrie and Mantis. You’d grown fond of Mantis, but Valkyrie was about to murder her.

You were getting out of the shower, hair wet and relaxed bones when you noticed a text on your phone.

**Stephen:**   _I’m at the bar. Wanna join me for a late night drink? For old time’s sake._

You smiled. You left the towel you were using to dry your hair on the bed and texted back.

**You:**   _you know my favourite. Be there in 10._

You hurried. You were pulling clothes out of your case, not knowing what to wear. With Valkyrie’s help, you went for a high-waisted plaid short and a long-sleeved loose shirt.

“Where are you going?” Gamora asked you as she entered the room, you walking out.

“To a date with the sexy doctor,” Valkyrie answered.

“It’s not a date, and I’m late, so…”

On your way to the elevator, you heard Valkyrie yell, “Use protection!”

You rolled your eyes. You were nervous. Why were you nervous? It was Stephen. Yes, you’d had a relationship back on the day, but… there was nothing there anymore, right?

When you arrived at the lobby, you saw him at the bar. You felt transported to the first time you met him. He was using a simple shirt and jeans.

“Stephen Strange wearing jeans?” You asked, sitting on the stool next to him, where you saw a vodka martini with three olives. “Never thought I’d live to see this day.”

He chuckled. “Can you believe it’s the most northern thing in my case?”

“Well, given we’re headed to the beach, it’s not hard to picture.” You took the martini in your hand. “Thanks for the drink.”

“Anytime.” He eyed you, up and down. “You look… beautiful.”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

“I remember you wore something similar to our first date,” he recalled, sipping on his drink.

“How can you remember that?”

“I could never forget.”

“I guess my style hasn’t changed that much,” you answered, a crooked smile on your mouth. “I thought that date was going to be a disaster.”

Stephen frowned. “Really?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “You were a rich privileged white boy, and an ass most of the time.” Stephen snorted. “You were the embodiment of everything I wasn’t looking for in a guy, but… you had charm and talk. It was inevitable.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, actually, I thought it would end up the way it did.”

“With us having sex in the back of your car?”

“I thought we’d get to the apartment.” You laughed. “No, you… you were explosive and challenging and weren’t afraid to call me out on my bullshit. I loved that about you.”

“I’m still not afraid to call you out on your bullshit.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

You ate an olive, hoping to hide the blush taking over your cheeks. Goddammit, what was happening?

“So…,” you began, “…tell me about the magic.”

Stephen explained the whole ordeal, not leaving the accident on the side. After the crash, he couldn’t practice anymore and found the Kamar-Taj. He found a different kind of practice, one pivotal to the safety of the world.

“And the cape?”

“Oh, that was a plus,” he said. “But it thinks like me.”

“I like it,” you commented. “You look good on it.” Stephen smiled. “And, I know I never said this, but…” You put a hand over his on the bar. “I’m sorry about what happened. I know how much you loved your job.”

Stephen had a sad smile on his face, brushing his thumb with your fingers. “It’s odd to think that at some point in my life I didn’t imagine myself doing anything else.”

You nodded slowly. “Right back at ya.”

You stared at your hands, still touching. Before, they were stable and rough. Now, they were soft and, if you focused enough, shook a little.

He pulled it out. “Hm… how… did you end up here? With Stark and… the rest?”

“Well… Remember those awful headaches I would have, after the miscarriage?” Stephen nodded. “I’d see… flashes and blurs of people and places I didn’t recognise. I met this girl like two years later and she contacted me with experts on the matter,” you shared. “Turns out there are a lot more people like me. I’ve seen kids control elements and carry twice their weight and walk through walls. It was insane. I quit school after.”

“I know,” Stephen answered. “Solange told me.”

“So, I moved in with them and found pleasure on calling out teenagers in their crap. Then I began doing missions, going undercover finding more like us. Fury found me in one of them, and… here we are.”

“Is that why you have that scar on your shin?” Stephen pointed out at the thin vertical line.

“Oh, this? No. This… was me coming between two girls that were experts with knives.”

“You? Breaking up a fight?” Stephen inquired. “Never thought I’d live to see that day.”

* * *

You two drank till one in the morning. You weren’t drunk or tipsy, you were chill and humorous. And with the drinks and laughs, old feelings resurfaced. Stephen was still as sassy and intelligent as before, but more mature and wiser.

In the elevator, the funny music drowned the environment. It was disco.

You laughed, blushing. You felt your knees tremble; an effect he always had on you. Your heart was beating fast, a question burning in the back of your mind.

Without giving yourself time to hesitate, you pressed the STOP button and the elevator ceased to move.

Stephen frowned at you. “Have you… ever thought about giving us another chance?”

“Like… get back together?”

“Yeah. I mean… we were different people back then, meant to part ways. We had school and then the baby, we… it’s safe to say time wasn’t on our side, but… since we saw each other again, I wondered if you ever…,” you trailed off.

“I did,” Stephen confessed. “I thought about getting back together.” At the moment, Stephen had come dangerously close. “I wondered what it would be like to lie on your bed again, to… taste your lips,” Stephen put a hand on your cheek, “to banter.” You chuckled. “I can’t help myself to do so.”

You felt yourself gasping for air. “Do you… still…?”  **Do you still love me?**

“I do.”

You grabbed him by the neck and united your mouths in a desperate kiss. His hands were all over the place: your hair, your neck, your back, your ass. Yours messed up his hair and held onto him like oxygen. His kissing patterns hadn’t changed: always fighting for dominance. And yours hadn’t either: your tongue kicking him out, teasing him.

“I want to give this another try,” you stated when you split to take air, as you two were gasping messes.

“Then let’s.”

You smiled and pulled out his shirt before capturing his mouth once again.


End file.
